What does IBU mean in beer?

Answer 1

IBU stands for International Bitterness Units and is a standardised measure of the bitterness of beer set by the European Brewing Convention (EBC). The bitterness of beer comes from alpha acids found in hops; the concentration of alpha acids is directly proportional to the theoretical bitterness of the beer. This concentration can be measure in a laboratory and hence a figure assigned to the bitterness of the beer. A standard oz lager would be around 20IBU, a very hoppy IPA would easily reach 70+ BU's

Care however must be taken. The perceived bitterness of beer determined by the toungue will be reduced by the sensation of sweetness from residual sugar also found in the beer. The balance between sweetness and bitterness determines the balance of the beer and is part of the brewers art. It is the trend in the US particularly to produce very hoppy beers well into the 100's however most of these beers also have very high residual sugar which means the beer retains at least some drinkability.

A very light beer like Corona would have about 10BU which balances the small amount of residual sugar. If you were to have 50 BU's in corona it would be undrinkably bitter, however 50BU in a high gravity IPA would be very palatable.

Answer 2

BU stands for bitterness units. There are two scales for measuring bitterness EBU (European Bitterness Units) and IBU (International Bitterness Units).

Answer 3

Bottterness of beer

Answer 4

International Bittering Units